


Not dead yet

by cloudy_reality



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, M/M, Minor Injuries, Movie: IT (2017), Oscar Bowers being an assole, Physical Abuse, Psychopaths In Love, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23145172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudy_reality/pseuds/cloudy_reality
Summary: It's been three days since Patrick Hockstetter was reported missing. Henry Bowers doesn't want to believe his friend is dead. Despite Belch and Victor's advice, the young man will look for Patrick in the middle of the night and will not give up until he finds him alive. He is far too important to him not to try anything.
Relationships: Henry Bowers & Patrick Hockstetter, Henry Bowers & Reginald "Belch" Huggins, Henry Bowers & Victor Criss, Henry Bowers/Patrick Hockstetter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the first part of my Henry x Patrick fanfiction. I wrote this story several months ago to publish it on Amino and I thought it could be a good idea to share it with others on AO3 :)  
> My original story is french, sorry if there are some mistakes !

The boys had been sitting against Belch's blue trans am in the young Bowers' garden for an hour now. The blond-haired boy was finishing his pack of cigarettes at top speed, not letting go of Patrick Hockstetter's missing poster. He had found this poster on a pole in front of Derry's library about an hour ago, and he still seemed in shock. It was all Hanscom's fault, if he hadn't run away they wouldn't have lost Patrick. He had spent the afternoon looking for him that day, but he hadn't told his friends. Victor and Belch probably thought Patrick had gone home so they did the same. But not their leader. He felt it wasn't that. But impossible to find him.

«Mate, listen. Get used to it, we never found the missing kids. I don't think Patrick's gonna be an exception to that rule.» Belch whispered as he put one hand on his best friend's shoulder. Bowers' eyes changed and you could have sworn he was gonna kill him. He violently pulled his hand away and grabbed him by the collar.

«Shut the fuck up!! I know he ain't dead! he shouted. Don't touch me, you understand?!» His voice was broken, distorted by the pain. At any moment, the young boy could snap and let his tears flow. But he didn't want to cry in front of his friends, he wanted to be alone.

Victor and Belch looked at each other, even in the worst moments their leader was stubborn and violent. It was better to leave him alone for a while, even though Henry had never told them anything they could tell that Patrick was very important to the mullet-wearing boy. And it was so true... even truer than they thought.

Without looking back, he went home and slammed the door behind him. He let himself fall on his bed and cried silently as he squeezed the poster in his hands. It wasn't fair, why was nothing going well in his life? He closed his eyes when he heard his friend's car starting, and without realizing it he fell asleep a few minutes later. It was a deep, dreamless sleep. The voice of his father woke him up two hours later.

«HENRY!» his father shouted from the kitchen; a shiver ran through his whole body. He already knew the evening was going to end badly for him. The young Bowers got up slowly from his deep sleep and hurried to join his father in the kitchen before he went to grab him by the scruff of the neck.

«Yeah, Dad...?» He asked in an insecure voice, what had he done again? He had cleaned the house this morning, he had bought food for tonight, he hadn't done anything stupid today...

«Can you tell me where my beer is? The one I told you to buy this morning?» He replied in a trict, impatient tone, looking his son in the eyes and tapping his fingers on the wooden kitchen table. Henry's expression decayed, and his heart started to race. He had completely forgotten...He was on his way to the supermarket when he saw Patrick's missing poster. And then it had completely slipped his mind, the shock had been too strong. After a heavy silence, he slowly looked up at his father.

«Dad...

\- You forgot, didn't you?» Another moment of silence. «Come here.» He asked with a wave of his hand. His son came closer, as if he could command him with just his voice. Like a vulgar puppet that he could control as he wanted. Oscar Bowers got up from his chair and turned Henry back to him while gripping his right shoulder tightly with one hand. The blond-haired boy held back so as not to scream in pain and stiffened violently. Three days ago, the day Patrick disappeared, Henry had lost his father's favorite knife. He had almost dislodged his right shoulder and had hit him on the back when he had to tell him that he had borrowed it and lost it.

Everything happened very quickly through the young man's eyes, he simply heard his father unbuckle his belt and an instant later the hard leather of the belt slammed against his back. A scream of pain came from Henry's throat, and several more slaps followed. His legs decided to let go of him and his father took this opportunity to put his son on the ground, holding him by his hair. He lifted his red top so that the belt could slam directly on his weakened back.

«Dad, stop it ! STOP!!» The poor Bowers yelled. After long minutes of pain and screaming, Oscar walked up to the TV and watched one of those silly Friday night shows. Henry stayed on the floor for fifteen minutes, gradually coming to his senses. He would have to apply more healing cream to make his wounds disappear one day. He got up with difficulty, leaning against the wall, and simply took a box of biscuits from the kitchen before locking himself in his room.

Several hours passed. Henry waited patiently but surely, listening carefully. His father's snoring signaled that he was out of danger... as long as he remained silent. He slowly opened his bedroom' s door and glanced at his father. He was sound asleep, perfect. He walked carefully through the living room, holding his breath. If Oscar realized that his son was going out in the middle of the night without warning, the young Bowers would end up in a wheelchair...or dead.

Once he crossed the living room, Henry took the keys from the hall dresser and opened the garage door that lined the hallway. He quietly grabbed the flashlight from the workbench and walked outside through the front door, making every effort not to slam the door or make too much noise with the keys. He would have gone out through the garage door, but it had been squeaking for several months and Mr. Bowers was far too lazy to fix the problem.

Henry looked towards the living room window, and as he didn't see any movement he ran out, this time without looking behind him. This was too much this time, he didn't want to spend the night with that monster. He would end up killing him with his beatings, that's what had almost happened to his mother. That's why she left and abandoned the child he was then. He walked through the city and reached the barrens, out of breath. It was where Patrick had disappeared. He had to be there somewhere, he must have gotten lost. But where... His eyes turned to an access leasing to the sewers. Inside its imposing, circular shape was the darkness. He directed the beam of his flashlight towards it and stepped forward. He felt attracted by this black hole, this attraction was inexplicable and somehow... He wanted to enter it and never leave again. This attraction was caused by an entity he ignored the existence of.

«Patrick?» The blond-haired boy called distractedly, thinking he might answer. But of course, only silence answered him. Despite this heavy silence, he resolutely walked to the artery and entered it. If Patrick was lost, he had to be in there. The barrens were vast, of course, but you could always find your way there by following the river. The sewers, on the other hand, were huge, dark and for an average teenager there was no way to find your way back through this labyrinth.

Henry walked cautiously into the sewers, illuminating the long path in front of him with his flashlight. He winced as he felt a sticky liquid get into his shoes and wet his jeans, it wasn't pleasant... But he preferred it to his father's beatings and the feeling that had been squeezing his heart since Patrick's disappearance.

He didn't know exactly how long he had walked, it could have been five minutes or an hour. But he heard something. Or rather someone. Footsteps in the gray water. Either he was going crazy, or he was tired, or...

«Is there someone...? Please help me...» The weakened but perfectly recognizable voice of Patrick Hockstetter implored.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry wandered into the sewers and finally found Patrick. But is it really him? How are they going to get out of here? And, above all, are they going to get out of here alive?

Henry, at that moment, didn't believe what he'd just heard. But...he could recognize Patrick's voice among thousands. His eyes widened in surprise and shock; he would have liked to answer but his voice was stuck in his throat. It sounded so unreal...He heard again the sound of footsteps in the gray water, then a painful cough. The footsteps started to move away: that's what awakened Henry from his torpor and made him run with all his strength to reach him. If it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up.

«PATRICK!

\- Henry...?» The tall, dark-haired boy only had time to turn around before Henry took him in his arms, hugging him with all his strength. Oh, my God, it was him. The same cigarette smell mixed with the fresh smell of mint in his shampoo, he recognized it right away. The blond boy burst into tears and tightly squeezed Patrick's shirt in his hands, he didn't want to endure his disappearance anymore. His absence had made Bowers realize that he was more important in his life than he thought, and that he loved him very much. Yes, he loved that idiot and his creepy smile, he loved that boy who acted like a psychopath. Patrick was so different from the others, but that's why he fell in love with him.

But there was no time for declarations, at least not right away. They had to get out of here. And Patrick... he looked so weak. He pointed his flashlight at his face and let out a scream of horror. His face was bloody. What had happened? Was there anyone else but them in the sewers?

«Holy shit, what the hell happened to you?!» Henry articulated between sobs, laying a hand on his friend's sticky cheek. He half closed his eyes and looked ready to faint. He hadn't eaten or drunk in three days; he was at the limit of his strength. He let his head rest against the blond-haired boy's shoulder, his breathing was slow but noisy. He responded to Bowers' hug and the boy realized how much Patrick was shaking. He distractedly ran a hand through his brown hair and patted his back to try to calm him down. He had no idea what he'd been going through in there for three days. And he would probably never know how hard it had been psychologically and physically. Three days may not seem like much. But wandering in the sewers for three days was endless.

«We've got to get out of here, we're not alone here... We're gonna get killed...» The tallest one murmured in a weak voice. He was under constant stress for three days, trying to escape something he couldn't see. Patrick Hockstetter may not have been in his right mind, but he knew how to tell the difference between nightmares and reality. He could swear that he saw red balloons floating in the sewers. He could swear he heard children singing... And above all, that clown voice that seemed both so far away and so close to him.

Henry was going to ask him his questions later. For now, he carried Patrick on his back and backed up, trying to remember where he'd walked to find Patrick. It would be the last straw to get lost when he had found Hockstetter. His friend counted on him, if they got lost they would both die, eaten by the darkness.

A minute or two went by without Patrick talking. He was falling asleep against the blond-haired boy's back, he was so tired, and exhausted... Sleep was reaching out to him, but the result would only be a poisoned gift. If he fell asleep, he might never wake up again. He didn't want to die, not now that Henry was here and was getting him out of this nightmare. The tallest one lifted his head when he realized Bowers had stopped.

«Henry? Why are you...» Before he could finish his sentence, he understood. In an artery to their left was a floating balloon. A red balloon with 'I love Derry' printed on it.

Henry slowly stepped back while keeping Patrick on his back. What the fuck was that? What was a balloon doing in the sewers? He had a bad feeling. The balloon floated quickly in their direction. Too fast to be normal. The boys felt a deep uneasiness because they knew they weren't dreaming. It was real; the grey water that wet their shoes and pants was real. The warmth of the other was real. Patrick was the first one to react, because he had already seen this balloon pass in front of him during those three days.

«RUN!» He shouted to his friend, who didn’t wait any longer to run away at full speed carrying the brown-haired boy on his back. They shouldn't get lost, they had to get out of here and now! Patrick was right, something was here, with them in this dark maze. Something that wasn't human. He didn't need to see this thing to guess it, he had understood it by himself from the moment he saw that balloon moving at a speed not foreseen by nature.

The more the young Bowers ran, the more the space seemed to distort itself into an endless corridor. But being who he was, he didn't give up and held Patrick's legs tightly so he wouldn't fall.

«It's not fucking real! It can't be! It can't be!» The young man yelled. Strangely, the more he became convinced that what he saw was false, the more the space became real again. So he repeated what he had just said, louder and louder, as if to give himself courage and to persuade Patrick in turn. If fear took over, it was over, he was sure of it. And it was true, this creature was just waiting for it. Feeding on their fear until it was no longer hungry.

The dark-haired boy straightened up when he saw the light in the distance. He raised his arm with difficulty towards the exit; the day was dawning.

«Henry...look!...» No need to say more. Bowers used his last ounce of strength to sprint out. Patrick closed the grid of the artery that was raised when they exited, causing the balloon to pop against it. Blood splashed against the metal and against the brown boy's back. Then nothing more.

Henry's legs gave out afterwards, the stress was off and the adrenaline was gone too. He'd done it, Patrick was safe now. New tears streamed down his cheeks as his friend came down from his back, he had never seen his leader cry...And he was crying for him, Patrick Hockstetter. He approached him slowly, the mullet-wearing boy took him in his arms again and put his hands behind his back. It was so nice to feel Patrick's warmth and touch...They stayed in this position for a few minutes, just enjoying the cuddle and waiting for their heart rate to slow down. Bowers wasn't the cuddling type usually, but this time he needed it. He thought he'd never see his friend or see his smile again. Yeah, that smile that he only gave to him and made him crazy.

But Henry was having trouble giving up his dignity, and this time was no exception. He put his hands on the brown-haired boy's cheeks and looked him in the eyes, with his usual sulky expression. Patrick wasn't intimidated; on the contrary, he thought it was adorable.

«Are you dumb or what, for going in there?! You could have died if I hadn't come in time! You're really... really...

\- I'm glad to see you too, Henry.» Patrick whispered, hugging him back. He knew him by heart, he knew he was too proud to say it to his face. But the truth was, the blond-haired boy couldn't have carried the weight of his death any longer. Henry's heart speeded up again and he buried his head against Patrick's chest without adding anything more, he had a point. Noticing his heavy breathing, he lifted his head to the tallest one. They needed to go now, Patrick had to drink, eat and he had to take care of him. He straightened up and took his friend on his back, who put his hands on his shoulders and let him carry him. Bowers headed home, he had to hurry before his father realized he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of this fanfiction! Henry managed to save Patrick, but it's not over yet. Patrick's in bad shape :(


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two boys managed to get out of the sewers. But Patrick is in very bad shape. Will he survive?

The boys arrived in front of Henry's house after about twenty minutes, the smaller boy was sweating and had a pain in his back, but there was no way to tell Patrick. He was not a pussy, he wanted to show him that he was strong and that he was able to carry him without flinching. He slowly approached the living room window to check if his father was still asleep. After a quick glance, he saw his father still asleep on the couch. Perfect, he could hide Patrick in the basement and make his stupid father think he was still in his room.

After waving to the dark-haired boy not to make a sound, he slowly opened the door and slid into the hallway. He closed the door just as slowly and put the keys back on the hall dresser. He walked to the basement door and then walked down with Patrick on his back. He put his friend on the floor, turned on the flashlight and gave it to him.

«You're going to stay there until my dad leaves. Hang on, it won't be long. As soon as he leaves, you can come back up and I'll take care of you.» Henry whispered, putting his hands on his shoulders. He just had to hang on for a little hour at the most and then it would be over, he could regain his strength and get better. He raised his hands on his cheeks and caressed them with his thumbs. «Be strong.» He added, he didn't want to lose him. Patrick closed his eyes and raised his hands to put them on Henry's wrists.

«Don't worry... I'm counting on you. I'm not going to die now.» He whispered back. Patrick didn't look like it, but he was tough. He wasn't in the best of shape, but he would make it, he had survived the worst. Henry took one last look at him and then went back upstairs, closing the door behind him. Realizing that his father was waking up, he took a quick step towards the kitchen and took a banana from the fruit basket. Oscar opened his eyes; phew, just in time. He straightened up, stretched out and noticed his son in the kitchen.

«You're up already?

\- Yeah... I was starving. I didn't eat much last night.» And it was the truth, a few biscuits weren't enough for a meal. Running that much made him hungry. He was also exhausted because he hadn't been able to sleep all night, but that was a detail. He would sleep better next night.

«Hmm.» His father only answered before joining Henry in the kitchen for jam sandwiches. The blond boy remained silent, just eating his banana. He also took a slice of toast from the table. After eating, Oscar Bowers went to his room to get ready and came out with his service gun. He grabbed the keys from the hall dresser and opened the door.

«See you tonight.» Henry whispered. His father was very strict about being polite. He grumbled “see you tonight" back before closing the door behind him and getting into his car. When the young Bowers heard the car start, he rushed down to the basement to get Patrick.

«Patrick! Hey, my old man's gone, it's okay!» He said out loud, this time he turned on the light to get a better look. His friend was lying on the floor, his chest was lifting up painfully. He was so thirsty...His throat was swollen and burning, he coughed several times. Noticing his condition, Henry ran to him and took him in his arms. «Damn it, damn it...! Stay with me mate...don't leave me!» he added in a shaky voice. Patrick was reaching his limits, he was dehydrated and if he didn't drink very quickly...Henry preferred not to think about what was going to happen. He carried him in his arms and rushed up the stairs to get water for him.

Henry put Patrick on the couch and almost threw himself on one of the water bottles in the kitchen. He ran up to Patrick's side, opened the bottle and made him drink by raising his head with one hand. Feeling the fresh water flowing down his throat was so pleasant...he put his hands on the bottle and drank, no longer counting sips. He emptied three quarters of the bottle in a short time, catching his breath only a few seconds before starting to drink again. He had almost forgotten the sensation of water, he felt as if he had been deprived of it for weeks and weeks.

Once rehydrated, Patrick straightened up and already felt better. Bowers smiled sadly at him and got up, he went to get him something to eat. Seeing his friend so thirsty had hurt his heart, he couldn't imagine the suffering he had endured during those three days. Henry was going to get him back on his feet, he wouldn't sleep until he saw him at his best. He took a sandwich from the fridge and sat down next to him.

«Here, eat.» He patted his cheek, Patrick laughed lightly and took the sandwich, which he ate in five minutes. He could almost compete with It, the fear-eating entity.

Henry got up again and headed into the kitchen to make him a hot meal this time, a sandwich wouldn't be enough.

«I'll cook you something to eat. In the meantime you can go wash up and borrow some of my stuff, you look like shit.» Henry said in a friendly tone of voice. He thought it was funny to bother him even in a situation like that. It was his way of flirting, even if the effectiveness was questionable. They'd always done that together, because after all, you have to be cruel to be kind.

Patrick got up and went by the kitchen to give him a pat on the back of the head.

«Yeah, yeah. Let's see you down here, three days in the sewers wading through shit.» The brown-haired boy joked, caressing his friend's mullet before going to the bathroom. Henry blushed slightly and smiled while preparing food, he loved to feel Patrick's touch. Before it would have pissed him off that he was so tactile, let's be honest, but now he wanted more. He wanted to feel his big, bony hands on his cheeks, on his neck, on his chest... Thinking about it, Bowers' cheeks warmed up hard. He shook his head to put his ideas back in place and took the pasta off the shelf, this was no time to dream: he had to prepare food for Patrick, that was the most important thing.

After fifteen minutes or so, the dark-haired boy moved silently towards his friend and hugged him from behind, putting his hands on his stomach. Henry let out a scream and almost knocked over the pasta dish he was draining in the sink.

«Holy shit... Hockstetter, do you want me to burn myself or what?!» Bowers yelled, red up to his ears. He turned to him and looked up and down at him. Well, at least he was clean and he looked pretty good in his clothes, although he much preferred it when he was wearing his own. His dark, rocky style suited him very well.

«Sorry, I just wanted to give you a hug. To thank you.» Patrick replied, looking at his friend's sky-blue eyes, he thought they were beautiful. His smile widened as he noticed Henry's red cheeks, how cute that was. He stood behind him to help him drain the pasta, then he took out a plate and some cutlery, putting them on the kitchen table.

«Yeah... You're welcome. That's normal.» Henry whispered, joining Patrick and putting the pasta on the table. Luckily, he knew how to cook, he'd learned at a very young age because his father couldn't bear to do household chores. «I knew you weren't dead. I...didn't want to believe a fucking word of it...» he added as his eyes filled with tears. If he had stayed home that night, Patrick might have died of thirst and starvation in the sewers. All alone. Or killed by that thing that lived in the sewers. Somehow he could thank his father. If he hadn't beaten him, he wouldn't have gone out in the middle of the night to do the impossible.

«Oh, Henry...» Patrick walked around the table and gave him a hug. He had never seen him so broken ... He caressed the back of his head then brushed his jaw with the back of his index finger and finally raised his chin. «I'm fine, see? Thanks to you. I don't like to see you cry.» Moment of silence without the boys talking. «You look like shit.» The boy continued, imitating his friend. Henry let out a light laugh and put his hands on his cheeks again.

«You're a real dick, Patrick.» He said before putting his lips on his own. The tallest one widened his eyes, but did not push him away, on the contrary. He took part in the kiss and deepened it, putting his hands on Bowers'. It had been several months since he had fallen in love with his leader, whom he thought unreachable. At first he didn't believe it himself, because he had never felt anything. He had always seen the world in black and white, a terribly boring and dull world. Only killing made the world a little more interesting. He realized this when he killed his little brother, Avery, when he was five years old. But there were rules. With Henry it was different, he made him see colors. Patrick Hockstetter would never feel the same way as other people, but to him, that's how he saw love.

The two boys stepped back, Henry's heart was beating fast and he looked up at Patrick. He had to tell him... While keeping his hands on his cheeks, he took a deep breath, and...

«I love you...you bastard.» He said, biting his lip. He had panicked and had said an insult without warning, he was so stupid...You couldn't change Henry Bowers, even when he was in love. Patrick laughed and put his hands on his lower back.

«I love you, too.» he replied, kissing again the boy he loved. Henry wrapped his arms around his neck and closed his eyes, gently caressing his neck with one hand. He knew that being gay was dangerous, that's why he had denied who he really was all this time. Derry was a homophobic town, and so was his father. But he was ready to take risks because Patrick was one of the only positive things in his life.  
  


It was simple. He needed Patrick, and Patrick needed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! What do you think about it?  
> This is my first fanfiction about this couple, I'll soon post other OS and short stories I wrote ;)


End file.
